Why is there no inspiration? Writing a book: How to regain inspiration and lost interest
Probably everyone is familiar with the problem of the “departure of the muse”. I will be glad if my advice will be useful to someone.
1. Listen to music, preferably classical and always without words, so as not to knock down. Or just the sounds of nature: the sound of the surf or the chirping of birds in the forest.
For example: I selected musical compositions for each of my characters, which I included from time to time, plunging into the images.
2. Write by hand, do not use a computer. The computer is good, but by using the hand, we are activating part of the cerebral cortex. And the brain is generally useful to keep in good shape.
In addition, when you start retyping, be sure to edit and add something. Which is always helpful.
Keep a notebook and pencil with you at all times. An idea flashed. "Oh, I'll write it down later!" - you think, and this idea will sink into oblivion. Or it will appear in the work of another author and you think: “But it could have been with me!”, But it’s too late. Nature (Cosmos, Higher Mind, Noosphere - I don't know what you call where inspiration flows from) does not tolerate emptiness.
3. Write every day (for two hours or a certain number of sheets), do not make indulgences and "weekends". Train yourself to work.
4. Listen to someone else's opinion. There is no need to read passages to acquaintances and strangers, it is more useful to discuss “near-plot” topics. For example, if you are writing about sea adventures, talk to real yachtsmen or sailors. Listen to their stories.
5. The desktop and the space around it should not distract you from work. If the desktop is by the window, move it to the wall. No windows, no tablet phones, no snotty kids. Announce at home so that two hours do not distract you.
6. Physical activity and interaction with nature helps a lot. Walk around the park, ride a bike, admire the sunset (dawn, night sky, falling snowflakes).
7. Laugh. Be in a good mood. Laughter activates the brain. Laughing heartily, we feel a surge of strength.
8. Color therapy. Helps to see blue and green. It can be curtains, wallpaper, ceiling. Or you can close your eyes and imagine the deep blue sea, or the foliage of trees, illuminated by the sun, with droplets of fresh rain on the tips of the leaves ... (sorry, carried away)
9. Start writing the first thing that comes to mind, even if it seems like nonsense to you. Let the stream of consciousness on paper. (Remember that we are writing on paper) And suddenly - a thought. And you cling to it and start to pull. And now it is being written by itself and this flow cannot be stopped. Then, of course, you need to re-read it all and throw away half of it (or publish it in Prose, like a miniature. It's a joke.) But there will also be pearls that will fit well into your story.
10. Read your old diaries, letters. Open your favorite book to any page and read aloud. Feel the "taste" of the phrase. Start writing, imitating the author, then (you can also publish it in Prose) throw it away, but the creative "fuse" will remain.
It's all tested and working. Of course, each author has his own “chips” and many will never share, but I don’t feel sorry. You can add your own ways in the comments if you don't mind.
In conclusion, paraphrasing the Strugatskys, I will write: “Inspiration for everyone! For nothing! And let no one leave offended!
If we are empty, we have nothing to give, then the work does not go. And you can sit as long as you like, staring at an empty sheet. Until there is energy, there will be no inspiration. We lack the strength to work in moments of bad mood, emotional and physical fatigue. In a word, when something is wrong in our life, then creativity stands still.
Another variant of a creative crisis is a state of emotional stupor. When there is a problem, but you can't find a solution. Or you are tired of the daily routine, of the endless “shoulds” and you want to give up everything, go so far away that no one touches you.
sabbatical
Good for those freelance artists whose work is not limited by time. They can afford to "wait out" a temporary lack of ideas. Sometimes it’s enough just to accept everything as it is, take a little time out and believe that the muse will return soon. And in order to shorten the wait, and at the same time be filled with new impressions that give new ideas, get a new charge of creative forces, you can go on a trip or at least go to an exhibition, museum, theater, cinema.
Some people find it helpful to switch to another activity. For example, for general cleaning or repairs in the apartment. The brain is distracted from the endless search for ideas, such a respite is good for it. You can start landscaping your summer cottage or sign up as a volunteer in some charitable foundation. New things can lead you to new discoveries and become a source of inspiration.
Well, what if the cause of the creative crisis lies in some kind of severe mental trauma or is caused by the fear of failing, of not being able to surpass your own or other people's creations? Then it is better to seek the help of a psychologist. A good specialist will return your muse and joy of life in a few sessions.
Ax Soup
Well, if there is no way to nurture the idea of a new creation for weeks and you need to hand over the work literally by morning - write a business plan or a scientific article? How to quickly find the right thoughts? All creative people struggle with this question. And everyone has their own recipe.
But there are some universal tips, maybe one of them will work for you.
Loss of inspiration is a serious problem for any freelancer. It's terrible to feel that you can't solve a given problem because you don't have any original ideas. There are only clichés in my head, endless repetitions of the same approach, but something new and breakthrough is needed. From time to time, each person realizes that he needs to look at what he is doing, from a different point of view, this helps to throw off the shackles of past experience and thus awaken creativity. Is it possible to regain lost inspiration? Of course you can, there is no doubt about it. You just need to understand how the problem arose and start working on its solution.
It often happens that the loss of inspiration is associated with creative burnout or falling into a comfort zone. Interesting ideas arise only when there is food for the mind and when a person is in good physical shape. If a freelancer overworks seriously, sooner or later the day will come when he will be so tired that he will not be able to give the good result that the customer needs. Freelancing is a real job, which is quite difficult if you give 100 percent.
Therefore, you need to rest. The digital world is so captivating that many simply forget how many interesting things are around. If the muse suddenly left in an unknown direction, then the best way to return it is to leave the house. You can go on a short trip, for example, to a neighboring city. It is not expensive at all, but it gives a strong emotional jolt. It will take quite a bit of time for such a trip, while the effect will be very noticeable. A little adventure is just what you need if creativity is at zero. In addition, it will turn out to relax a little and at least for a while forget about business.
And you might as well not go anywhere. A good option are long walks around the city or the park. A change of scenery is very helpful in finding new ideas. You can explore unusual places, see how buildings are decorated or what ideas have been implemented in outdoor advertising. Checked, it helps.
Freelancing is creative work. But if there is a lot of routine in business, this is bad, because routine kills the creative spirit. If the loss of inspiration is due to the fact that the work has become boring and varied, then you should add more positive to your life. And it will be right. A freelancer cannot expect everything he does to be insanely interesting and exciting. There will always be a routine and you need to learn how to work productively day after day, consistently performing both interesting and boring tasks.
Parallel creative activity helps to return the lost inspiration. When workdays get completely dull, you can set aside time for dancing, drawing, or some other creative activity. This will not only diversify life, but also increase creativity. A change of activity allows you to spur the imagination and there are very good chances that during such creative breaks an interesting idea or solution to a problem will come to mind.
Usually a freelancer works with the same set of tools, as it is convenient for him. But such an approach is fraught with great danger, since in such work there is little room for inspiration. Yes, the toolkit in which the freelancer is thoroughly versed is of great importance, but it often happens that a task appears that is difficult to solve with the usual set of tools.
In this case, you need to leave your comfort zone and see if there are any means or approaches that will help you find new solutions to the problem. New programs, plugins, actions are constantly appearing on the Internet, and it is imperative to keep track of which of all this will help to increase the level of a freelancer. A new tool or life hack is always a new experience. And if you have experience, then you will definitely have ideas on how to use it.
Change of working environment
Inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places. And for this, sometimes you don’t even need to leave your home - just change the working environment. If a designer who is used to working in graphic editors suddenly feels that inspiration has left him, then you can try to return it by starting to work with a pencil and paper. This is a very good brain shake. Unusual tactile sensations, a completely different kind of design elements often help to find a creative idea. This experience can be so useful that it should definitely be used during a creative decline.
Working in a different environment forces you to use new approaches and at this time very interesting thoughts can appear. The same applies to other areas of activity. If a copywriter who is planning to write an article writes it first by hand, such text will most likely be different from the text typed on the keyboard.
Changing the working environment is one of the options for working under restrictions. In order to come up with something new, sometimes it is not even necessary to leave the digital environment - it is enough to change the device. You can, for example, try to implement the idea using a smartphone. This is not so convenient, this is a limitation that forces us to look for new approaches.
In search of lost inspiration, it is imperative to communicate with enthusiastic people. And it is not at all necessary that these are people who work in the same field as the freelancer. Someone else's passion is contagious. It often happens when there are so many events and drive in the life of another person that you involuntarily begin to envy him. It is at such moments that the understanding comes that you can find a lot of interesting things in your business, you just need to sincerely wish for changes and be open to everything new.
Yes, inspiration very often disappears when the work becomes monotonous. For some time, you can travel on your own professionalism and past developments, but this cannot last long. There will come a time when all the interesting ideas run out and a creative stupor sets in.
One way to regain lost inspiration is to visit museums, exhibitions and similar places. And it is best if it is such an exposition that does not resonate with what the freelancer does. Any art gallery is a real concentrate of someone else's creativity. Looking at the work of other people, you can understand what motivated them when they created their works. A visit to a museum or exhibition can provide a lot of food for thought. Everything in the world is interconnected and a good idea can appear unexpectedly. A designer who is unsuccessfully trying to prototype a site may well find a solution by visiting a construction equipment exhibition. Any exposition is, first of all, the result of the hard work of many people, and it really impresses and charges with positive.
And if there is positive, then there will be inspiration.
My first blog, I devote to a topic familiar to every musician. Perhaps when you started writing electronic music, you had success at first... You are talented and you know that you have musical ability, imagination and of course ear. In whatever style you tried to try yourself, everything turned out very easily and successfully. Then you decided to take one direction and improve in it. You created grandiose compositions in your opinion, but in the opinion of others they were raw and not interesting ... You continued to do your favorite thing, despite the fact that others did not support your idea ... Then you stopped. Thinking about quitting your favorite hobby and focusing on more important things... Time has passed. Hands reach out to play on any VST plug-in.... A new image of a musical picture is drawn in my head. But here - a wall suddenly appears in front of your eyes, which closes your view of your future track ... and you are in despair. Once again you are convinced that this is not your way... Where to get inspiration... How to achieve professionalism in what is so close and pleasant to you? Questions that concern me... With each new level of your growth, with each new track, you must grow professionally. It would seem that the new tracks should be better. Otherwise, the next level is too tough for you. How to pull yourself together and make your brain and all your abilities work at 100%? Where to get the emotional strength for such a decisive step??? ...
I wrote the first track in 2012... I didn't even know what real trance was. Didn't know what house is? What is Progressive and what is Melodic. What is Ambient and Chillout I had no idea at all. I just wrote what I heard in my head.. What was inside me. My emotions pushed me to write music. Always. I was successful for my first level... With every new track I brought something new. But there came a point when I thought that I would never be able to reach the professional level. At least the level of DJs at the radio station. After all, when you listen to modern electronic tracks, it seems that everything is not so complicated. And musical education is not needed to write such a simple melody.. And I thought - I will try it too .... In fact, everything turned out to be completely different. Tracks are complex in that a lot of time has been invested in them for competent processing (equalization, compression, mixing and mastering). Also, the sounds themselves in conventional VSTs are not of very high quality, so the pros specially wind up the sound they need (with the right echo, delay, chorus, and cut) ... How cool it is to be able to do this! How difficult it is to write a rocking bass so that it does not overlap an equally important kick. There is no simple design in life! Even a ballpoint pen is not easy to use! So here....
I stopped. Now I feel that I'm far from cool musicians... "When there is no inspiration"... Don't give up and stand firmly on your feet! Success is not universal popularity and worldwide fame. Success is not exhausted by funds on a bank card! Success is an inner feeling of confidence, a balanced and correct belief in yourself and your strengths! People can support and help! But until you believe in yourself, you will not feel true confidence! And I decided to do it! I want to go to the next level! And the next one and beyond.
"When there is no inspiration, when you do not believe in yourself,
What to do if there is no inspiration:
Council the first. It is very good if you are an optimist and everything beautiful in this world does not escape your gaze. But more often it happens that you walk down the street and see a gray habitual area, an overflowing garbage dump, a broken road and unsmiling people hurrying somewhere. And you will acquire the habit of looking at the world with interest! Remember little kids! What do they see when they walk hand in hand with their mother? They see grass, flowers, birds, an interesting aunt in a bright sweater, a bug on the path, a fast car, elongated shadows on the pavement and never cease to be surprised step by step. Each walk is a whole journey for them. The road to the store in a five-minute walk is delayed for the kids for half an hour. With age, unfortunately, we stop noticing all the beauty around. Turn shopping into an exciting game where you will look for as many interesting things as you can along the way. Firstly, the road will not be boring, and secondly, cheer yourself up. Pay attention to everything. To the sky, to the sun, to the trees, to the animals.
Tip two. Not many people like to walk. Just walking around the house in the evening seems like a waste of time. If you are one of those people, it's time to reconsider your position. A walk is fresh air, sunshine and relaxation. Walking, disconnect from negative thoughts, do not let them into your head. You will certainly feel a surge of vitality. It doesn't matter if you walk while walking or just sit on a bench. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day for a walk. When a person stops rushing, the thoughts in the head begin to order, i.e. space is freed up for fantasies, positive emotions, and this is inspiration.
Tip three. Throughout the day, we encounter a lot of information. Seeing something unusual, interesting, we soon forget about it. And in the absence of inspiration, this something unusual and interesting could be of great use to us, inspire ideas, stir up imagination. Let's start a box in which we will put something that pleases the eye, which is associated with some memorable event, which on a subconscious level gives optimism. Do you want a box? Then you can have a folder on your computer desktop with wonderful, bewitching, perfect pictures. What it will be is up to you. Patterns, textures, animals, nature, or maybe just photos. Look into creative crises there and catch inspiration.
Council the fourth. Carry a camera with you. It is not necessary to be a photographer, and it is not necessary to have a professional camera. Take pictures of whatever pleases the eye. Let bright events, interesting details remain in memory for a long time. You'll know where to look for positive thoughts, returning to snapshots whenever you want.
Tip five. Imagine your muse. Describe her, how she looks, what she thinks. Imagine that she is next to you. Mentally ask her for advice, tell her everything that worries you, everything you think about. Contact her more often, ask her to evaluate your work objectively from the outside. This is great for developing fantasy and imagination.
Tip six. This last tip includes a list of several ways at once, which we will not dwell on in more detail. Use them when the above methods are hopeless, or simply if you do not like them. outdoor meditation; music that creates the right mood; drawing with a pen on a piece of paper under the dictation of your subconscious; drinking tea in a relaxed atmosphere; meeting a friend who has a positive influence on you; embroidery, knitting, sewing; poetry reading; full sleep; relaxation in the sauna, spa; swimming in the pool; alcohol in moderate doses and with great care (but it’s better not to); Love; children; animals; aquarium; flowers; watching films; shopping, dancing. And yet, nothing inspires further work like
